![]() For those who are courageous enough to venture into the woods at night under a full moon, the calls of the owls in the darkness are a welcome reward.There's more to owl sounds than just “hoo, hoo.” Each species of owl has its own unique call - sometimes more than one. Also look for “whitewashed” trees, trees with white owl droppings on tree trunks or branches. To find owls, look for pellets on the ground near trees or barns. Owl pellets are typically smooth or furry, round, dark masses. ![]() Owls may engulf entire smaller prey, but because they cannot digest feathers, fur, scales, or bones, they regurgitate “pellets” of the indigestible materials. The screech owl diet is diverse, consisting of insects, rodents, and small birds. Competition for nesting cavities may have pushed screech owls to towns and urban areas. When these two species compete for a nesting site, the larger barred owl will likely win. “Once prey is grasped they can hold on or perch without expending excess muscle energy.”īarred owls and screech owls usually nest in tree cavities. “Their toes are built like a ratchet,” Beveroth said. They also may take over platform nests of hawks high up in tree branches. Great horned owls are powerful hunters and can take down medium-sized mammals, including skunks and even other birds of prey. They have asymmetrical hearing, with one ear higher than the other, and depend on their hearing to find rodents scurrying in foliage on the ground. They are considered to be “farmers’ friends” for their mouse-hunting ability a family of barn owls can consume as many as 3,000 mice in a season.īarn owls are known for their ability to capture prey by sound alone, Beveroth said. ![]() Since their decline, barn owls have come to depend on man-made nest box structures and barns that fit their nesting needs. Great horned owls can be successful in many different habitats. Barred owls tend to prefer old bottomland forests, and eastern screech owls are dependent on forested areas, although they are now also observed in forested urban areas. Illinois owl species can share a habitat. “Sometimes, in response to a recorded call, barred owls, usually a male and female, can be heard caterwauling (hooting loudly) to each other. “Most owls respond to prerecorded calls, especially during the breeding season,” Beveroth said. The barn owl emits a blood-curdling scream in the darkness, and the barred owl’s call sounds like, “Who, who cooks for you”?Īs part of the INHS Monitoring for Owls and Nightjars (MOON) Program, Beveroth’s volunteers learn to distinguish the calls of owls and nightjars, then drive routes that consist of 10 roadside stops, listening for 6 minutes at each stop. Screech owl calls sound like a horse’s whinny, and the great horned owl, the bird of storybooks, produces the well-known hooting sound. They are territorial creatures and use their calls to warn others to stay off their turf.Įach owl species has a unique call. Owls typically call most often at dawn and dusk, but on a clear, moonlit night with little wind, some may be heard calling periodically throughout the night. The barn owl occurs globally but was listed as Illinois-endangered in 1977 and is currently considered a threatened species in the state, according to Tara Beveroth, avian researcher and monitoring coordinator, Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois. Four species of owls are year-round Illinois residents, the barn owl, screech owl, barred owl, and great horned owl (also known as the hoot owl). Today, owls are considered to be creatures of beauty, wise and mysterious birds that are hunters of the night. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches and an owl’s call meant someone was about to die. – “Birds of omen, dark and foul,” wrote Sir Walter Scott about owls, once considered harbingers of doom, death, and destruction. ![]()
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